Chapter XII (1)

AND there appeared a great [373]wonder in heaven; a [374]woman
clothed with the [375]sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Ch. xii. 1. _And there appeared a great wonder in heaven._ In that heavenly world thus disclosed, in the very presence of God, he saw the impressive and remarkable symbol which he proceeds to describe. The word _wonder_――σημεῖον――properly means something extraordinary, or miraculous, and is commonly rendered _sign_. See Mat. xii. 38, 39; xvi. 1, 3, 4; xxiv. 3, 24, 30; xxvi. 48; Mar. viii. 11, 12; xiii. 4, 22; xvi. 17, 20;――in all which, and in numerous other places in the New Testament, it is rendered _sign_, and mostly in the sense of _miracle_. When used in the sense of a miracle, it refers to the fact that the miracle is a _sign_ or _token_ by which the divine power or purpose is made known. Sometimes the word is used to denote _a sign of future things_――a portent or presage of coming events; that is, some remarkable appearances which foreshadow the future. Thus in Mat. xvi. 3: “_signs of the times_;” that is, the miraculous events which foreshadow the coming of the Messiah in his kingdom. So also in Mat. xxiv. 3, 30; Mar. xiii. 4; Lu. xxi. 7, 11. This seems to be the meaning here, that the woman who appeared in this remarkable manner was a portent or token of what was to occur. ¶ _A woman clothed with the sun._ Bright, splendid, glorious, _as if_ the sunbeams were her raiment. Comp. ch. i. 16; x. 1; see also Ca. vi. 10――a passage which, very possibly, was in the mind of the writer when he penned this description: “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” ¶ _And the moon under her feet._ The moon _seemed_ to be under her feet. She seemed as if she stood on the moon, its pale light contrasted with the burning splendour of the sun, heightening the beauty of the whole picture. The woman, beyond all question, represents the church. See Notes on ver. 2. Is the splendour of the sunlight designed to denote the brightness of the gospel? Is the moon designed to represent the comparatively feeble light of the Jewish dispensation? Is the fact that she stood upon the moon, or that it was under her feet, designed to denote the superiority of the gospel to the Jewish dispensation? Such a supposition gives much beauty to the symbol, and is not foreign to the nature of symbolic language. ¶ _And upon her head a crown of twelve stars._ A diadem in which there were placed twelve stars. That is, there were twelve sparkling gems in the crown which she wore. This would, of course, greatly increase the beauty of the vision; and there can be no doubt that the number _twelve_ here is significant. If the woman here is designed to symbolize the church, then the number twelve has, in all probability, some allusion either to the twelve tribes of Israel――as being a number which one who was born and educated as a Jew would be likely to use (comp. Ja. i. 1), or to the twelve apostles――an allusion which, it may be supposed, an apostle would be more {302} likely to make. Comp. Mat. xix. 28; Re. xxi. 14.

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and
pained to be delivered.

2. _And she being with child cried, travailing in birth_, &c. That is, there would be something which would be properly represented by a woman in such circumstances.

The question now is, what is referred to by this woman? And here it need hardly be said that there has been, as in regard to almost every other part of the book of Revelation, a great variety of interpretations. It would be endless to undertake to examine them, and would not be profitable if it could be done; and it is better, therefore, and more in accordance with the design of these Notes, to state briefly what seems to me to be the true interpretation. (1) The woman is evidently designed to symbolize the church; and in this there is a pretty general agreement among interpreters. The image, which is a beautiful one, was very familiar to the Jewish prophets. See Notes on Is. i. 8; xlvii. 1; comp. Eze. xvi. (2) But still the question arises, _to what time_ this representation refers: whether to the church before the birth of the Saviour, or after? According to the former of these opinions, it is supposed to refer to the church as giving birth to the Saviour, and the “man child” that is born (ver. 5) is supposed to refer to Christ, who “sprang from the church”――κατὰ σάρκα――according to the flesh (Professor Stuart, vol. ii. p. 252). The church, according to this view, is not simply regarded as _Jewish_, but, in a more general and theocratic sense, as _the people of God_. “From the Christian church, considered as Christian, he could not spring; for this took its rise only after the time of his public ministry. But from the bosom of the _people of God_ the Saviour came. This church, _Judaical_ indeed (at the time of his birth) in respect to rites and forms, but to become _Christian_ after he had exercised his ministry in the midst of it, might well be represented here by the woman which is described in ch. xii.” (Professor Stuart). But to this view there are some, as it seems to me, unanswerable objections. For, (a) there seems to be a harshness and incongruity in representing the Saviour as _the Son of the church_, or representing the church as giving birth to him. Such imagery is not found elsewhere in the Bible, and is not in accordance with the language which _is_ employed, where Christ is rather represented as the _Husband_ of the church than the _Son_: “Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” Re. xxi. 2. “I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife,” Re. xxi. 9; comp. Is. liv. 5; lxi. 10; lxii. 5. (b) If this interpretation be adopted, then this must refer to the _Jewish_ church, and thus the woman will personify the Jewish community before the birth of Christ. But this seems contrary to the whole design of the Apocalypse, which has reference to the _Christian_ church, and not to the ancient dispensation. (c) If this interpretation be adopted, then the statement about the dwelling in the wilderness for a period of 1260 days or years (ver. 14) must be assigned to the Jewish community――a supposition every way improbable and untenable. In what sense could this be true? When did anything happen to the Jewish people that could, with any show of probability, be regarded as the fulfilment of this? (d) It may be added, that the statement about the “man child” (ver. 5) is one that can with difficulty be reconciled to this supposition. In what sense was this true, that the “man _child_” was “caught up unto God, and to his throne?” The Saviour, indeed, ascended to heaven, but it was not, as here represented, that he might be _protected_ from the danger of being destroyed; and when he _did_ ascend, it was not as a helpless and unprotected babe, but as a man in the full maturity of his powers. The other opinion is, that the woman here refers to the Christian church, and that the object is to represent that church as about to be enlarged――represented by the condition of the woman, ver. 2. A beautiful woman appears, clothed with light――emblematic of the brightness and purity of the church; with the moon under her feet――the ancient and comparatively obscure dispensation now made subordinate and humble; with a glittering diadem of twelve stars on her head――the stars representing the usual well-known division of the people of God into twelve parts――as the stars in the American flag denote the original states of the Union; and in a condition (ver. 2) which showed that the church was to be increased. The time there referred to is at the {303} early period of the history of the church, when, as it were, it first appears on the theatre of things, and going forth in its beauty and majesty over the earth. John sees this church, as it was about to spread in the world, exposed to a mighty and formidable enemy――a hateful dragon――stationing itself to prevent its increase, and to accomplish its destruction. From that impending danger it is protected in a manner that would be well represented by the saving of the child of the woman, and bearing it up to heaven, to a place of safety――an act implying that, notwithstanding all dangers, the progress and enlargement of the church was ultimately certain. In the meantime, the woman herself flees into the wilderness――an act representing the obscure, and humble, and persecuted state of the church――till the great controversy is determined which is to have the ascendency――God or the Dragon. In favour of this interpretation, the following considerations may be suggested:――(a) It is the natural and obvious interpretation. (b) If it be admitted that John _meant_ to describe what occurred in the world at the time when the true church seemed to be about to extend itself over the earth, and when that prosperity was checked by the rise of the Papal power, the symbol employed would be strikingly expressive and appropriate. (c) It accords with the language elsewhere used in the Scriptures when referring to the _increase_ of the church. “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children,” Is. lxvi. 7, 8. “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord,” Is. liv. 1. “The children which thou shalt have, after thou shalt have lost the other, shall say again in thy ears, The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell,” Is. xlix. 20. The comparison of the church to a woman as the mother of children, is one that is very common in the Scriptures. (d) The future destiny of the child and of the woman agrees with this supposition. The child is caught up to heaven, ver. 5――emblematic of the fact that God will protect the church, and not suffer its increase to be cut off and destroyed; and the woman is driven for 1260 years into the wilderness and nourished there, ver. 14――emblematic of the long period of obscurity and persecution in the true church, and yet of the fact that it would be protected and nourished. The _design_ of the whole, therefore, I apprehend, is to represent the peril of the church at the time when it was about to be greatly enlarged, or in a season of prosperity, from the rise of a formidable enemy that would stand ready to destroy it. I regard this, therefore, as referring to the time of the rise of the Papacy, when, _but_ for that formidable, corrupting, and destructive power, it might have been hoped that the church would have spread all over the world. In regard to the _rise_ of that power, see all that I have to say, or can say, in the Notes on Da. vii. 24‒28.

3 And there appeared another wonder[376] in heaven; and behold
a [377]great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and
seven crowns upon his heads.

3. _And there appeared another wonder in heaven._ Represented as in heaven. See Notes on ver. 1. That is, he saw this as occurring _at the time_ when the church was thus about to increase. ¶ _And behold a great red dragon._ The word rendered _dragon_――δράκων――occurs, in the New Testament, only in the book of Revelation, where it is uniformly rendered as here――_dragon_: ch. xii. 3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; xiii. 2, 4, 11; xvi. 13; xx. 2. In all these places there is reference to the same thing. The word properly means a large serpent; and the allusion in the word commonly is to some serpent, perhaps such as the anaconda, that resides in a desert or wilderness. See a full account of the ideas that prevailed in ancient times respecting the dragon, in Bochart, _Hieroz._ lib. iii. cap. xiv., vol. ii. pp. 428‒440. There was much that was fabulous respecting this monster, and many notions were attached to the dragon which did not exist in reality, and which were ascribed to it by the imagination at a time when natural history was little understood. The characteristics ascribed to the dragon, according to Bochart, are, that it was distinguished (a) for its vast size; (b) that it had something like a beard or dew-lap; (c) that it had three rows of teeth; (d) that its colour was black, {304} red, yellow, or ashy; (e) that it had a wide mouth; (f) that in its breathing it not only drew in the air, but also birds that were flying over it; and (g) that its hiss was terrible. Occasionally, also, feet and wings were attributed to the dragon, and sometimes a lofty crest. The dragon, according to Bochart, was supposed to inhabit waste places and solitudes (comp. Notes on Is. xiii. 22), and it became, therefore, an object of great terror. It is probable that the original of this was a huge serpent, and that all the other circumstances were added by the imagination. The prevailing ideas in regard to it, however, should be borne in mind, in order to see the force and propriety of the use of the word by John. Two special characteristics are stated by John in the general description of the dragon: one is, its _red colour_; the other, that it was _great_. In regard to the former, as above mentioned, the dragon was supposed to be black, red, yellow, or ashy. See the authorities referred to in Bochart, _ut sup._, pp. 435, 436. There was doubtless a reason why the one seen by John should be represented as _red_. As to the other characteristic――_great_――the idea is that it was a huge monster, and this would properly refer to some mighty, terrible power which would be properly symbolized by such a monster. ¶ _Having seven heads._ It was not unusual to attribute many heads to monsters, especially to fabulous monsters, and these greatly increased the terror of the animal. “Thus Cerberus usually has three heads assigned to him; but Hesiod (_Theog._ 312) assigns him fifty, and Horace (Ode II. 13, 34) one hundred. So the Hydra of the Lake Lerna, killed by Hercules, had fifty heads (Virg. _Æn._ vi. 576); and in Kiddushim, fol. 29, 2, Rabbi Achse is said to have seen a demon like a dragon with seven heads” (Professor Stuart, _in loco_). The seven heads would somehow denote _power_, or seats of power. Such a number of heads increase the terribleness, and, as it were, the _vitality_ of the monster. What is here represented would be _as_ terrible and formidable as such a monster; or such a monster would appropriately represent what was designed to be symbolized here. The number seven _may_ be used here “as a perfect number,” or merely to heighten the terror of the image; but it is more natural to suppose that there would be something in what is here represented which would lay the foundation for the use of this number. There would be something either in the _origin_ of the power; or in the union of various powers now combined in the one represented by the dragon; or in the _seat_ of the power, which this would properly symbolize. Comp. Notes on Da. vii. 6. ¶ _And ten horns._ Emblems of power, denoting that, in some respects, there were _ten_ powers combined in this one. See Notes on Da. vii. 7, 8, 20, 24. There can be little doubt that John had those passages of Daniel in his eye, and perhaps as little that the reference is to the same thing. The meaning is, that, in some respects, there would be a tenfold origin or division of the power represented by the dragon. ¶ _And seven crowns upon his heads._ Gr., _diadems_. See Notes on ch. ix. 7. There is a reference here to some _kingly_ power, and doubtless John had some kingdom or sovereignty in his eye that would be properly symbolized in this manner. The method in which these heads and horns were arranged on the dragon is not stated, and is not material. All that is necessary in the explanation is, that there was _something_ in the power referred to that would be properly represented by the seven heads, and _something_ by the ten horns.

In the application of this, it will be necessary to inquire what was properly symbolized by these representations, and to refer again to these particulars with this view.

(a) _The dragon._ This is explained in ver. 9 of this chapter: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” So again, ch. xx. 2, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil.” Comp. Bochart, _Hieroz._ ii. pp. 439, 440. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the reference here is to Satan, considered as the enemy of God, and the enemy of the peace of man, and especially as giving origin and form to some mighty power that would threaten the existence of the church.

(b) _Great._ This will well describe the power of Satan as originating the organizations that were engaged for so long a time in persecuting the church, and endeavouring to destroy it. It was a work of vast power, controlling kings and nations for ages, and could have been accomplished only by one to whom the appellation here used could be given.

{305} (c) _Red._ This, too, is an appellation properly applied here to the dragon, or Satan, considered as the enemy of the church, and as originating this persecuting power, either (1) because it well represents the bloody persecutions that would ensue, or (2) because this would be the favourite _colour_ by which this power would be manifest. Comp. ch. xvii. 3, 4; xviii. 12, 16.

(d) _The seven heads._ There was, doubtless, as above remarked, something significant in these heads, as referring to the power designed to be represented. On the supposition that this refers to Rome, or to the power of Satan as _manifested_ by Roman persecution, there can be no difficulty in the application; and, indeed, it is such an image as the writer would naturally use on the supposition that it had such a designed reference. Rome was built, as is well known, on seven hills (comp. Notes on ch. x. 3), and was called the seven-hilled city (_Septicollis_), from having been originally built on seven hills, though subsequently three hills were added, making the whole number ten. See Eschenburg, _Manual of Classical Literature_, p. 1, § 53. Thus Ovid:――

“Sed quæ de septem totum circumspicit orbem
Montibus, imperii Romæ Deûmque locus.”

Horace:――

“Dis quibus septem placuere colles.”

Propertius:――

“Septem urbs alta jugis, toti quæ præsidet orbi.”

Tertullian:――“I appeal to the citizens of Rome, the populace that dwell on the seven hills” (Apol. 35). And again, Jerome to Marcella, when urging her to quit Rome for Bethlehem: “Read what is said in the Apocalypse of the seven hills,” &c. The situation of the city, if that was destined to be represented by the dragon, would naturally suggest the idea of the seven-headed monster. Comp. Notes on ch. xiii. The explanation which is here given of the meaning of the “seven heads” is, in fact, one that is given in the book of Revelation itself, and there can be no danger of error in this part of the interpretation. See ch. xvii. 9: “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” Comp. ver. 18.

(e) _The ten horns._ These were emblems of power, denoting that in reference to that power there were, in some respects, _ten_ sources. The same thing is referred to here which is in Da. vii. 7, 8, 20, 24. See the Notes on Da. vii. 24, where this subject is fully considered. The creature that John saw was indeed a _monster_, and we are not to expect entire congruity in the details. It is sufficient that the main idea is preserved, and that would be, if the reference was to Rome considered as the place where the energy of Satan, as opposed to God and the church, was centered.

(f) _The seven crowns._ This would merely denote that kingly or royal authority was claimed.

Illustration: Roman Standard.

The _general_ interpretation which refers this vision to Rome may receive confirmation from the fact that the _dragon_ was at one time the Roman standard, as is represented by the annexed engraving from Montfauçon. Ammianus Marcellinus (xvi. 10) thus describes this standard: “The dragon was covered with purple cloth, and fastened to the end of a pike gilt and adorned with precious stones. It opened its wide throat, and the wind blew through it; and it hissed as if in a rage, with its tail floating in several folds through the air.” He elsewhere often gives it the epithet of _purpureus_――purple-red: _purpureum signum draconis_, &c. With {306} this the description of Claudian well agrees also:――

“Hi volucres tollent aquilas; hi picta draconum
Colla levant: multumque tumet per nubila serpens,
Iratus stimulante noto, vivitque receptis
Flatibus, et vario mentitur sibila flatu.”

The dragon was first used as an ensign near the close of the second century of the Christian era, and it was not until the third century that its use had become common; and the reference here, according to this fact, would be to that period of the Roman power when this had become a common standard, and when the applicability of this image would be readily understood. It is simply _Rome_ that is referred to――Rome, the great agent of accomplishing the purposes of Satan towards the church. The _eagle_ was the common Roman ensign in the time of the republic, and in the earlier periods of the empire; but in later periods the dragon became also a standard as common and as well known as the eagle. “In the third century it had become almost as notorious among Roman ensigns as the _eagle_ itself; and is in the fourth century noted by Prudentius, Vegetius, Chrysostom, Ammianus, &c.; in the fifth, by Claudian and others” (Elliott).

4 And his [378]tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before
the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born.

4. _And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven._ The word rendered _drew_――σύρω――means to _draw_, _drag_, _haul_. Professor Stuart renders it “drew along;” and explains it as meaning that “the danger is represented as being in the upper region of the air, so that his tail may be supposed to interfere with and sweep down the stars, which, as viewed by the ancients, were all set in the visible expanse or welkin.” So Daniel (viii. 10), speaking of the little horn, says that “it waxed great, even to the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground.” See Notes on that passage. The main idea here undoubtedly is that of _power_, and the object of John is to show that the power of the dragon was _as if_ it extended to the stars, and _as if_ it dragged down a third part of them to the earth, or swept them away with its tail, leaving two-thirds unaffected. A power that would sweep them _all_ away would be universal; a power that would sweep away one-third only would represent a dominion of that extent only. The dragon is represented as floating in the air――a monster extended along the sky――and one-third of the whole expanse was subject to his control. Suppose, then, that the dragon here was designed to represent the Roman Pagan power; suppose that it referred to that power about to engage in the work of persecution, and at a time when the church was about to be greatly enlarged, and to fill the world; suppose that it referred to a time when but one-third part of the Roman world was subject to Pagan influence, and the remaining two-thirds were, for some cause, safe from this influence,――all the conditions here referred to would be fulfilled. Now it so happens that at a time when the “dragon” had become a common standard in the Roman armies, and had in some measure superseded the eagle, a state of things _did_ exist which well corresponds with this representation. There were times under the emperors when, in a considerable part of the empire, after the establishment of Christianity, the church enjoyed protection, and the Christian religion was tolerated, while in other parts Paganism still prevailed, and waged a bitter warfare with the church. “Twice, at least, before the Roman empire became divided permanently into the two parts, the Eastern and the Western, there was a _tripartite_ division of the empire. The first occurred A.D. 311, when it was divided between Constantine, Licinius, and Maximin; the other A.D. 337, on the death of Constantine, when it was divided between his three sons, Constantine, Constans, and Constantius.” “In two-thirds of the empire, embracing its whole European and African territory, Christians enjoyed toleration; in the other, or Asiatic portion, they were still, after a brief and uncertain respite, exposed to persecution, in all its bitterness and cruelty as before” (Elliott). I do not deem it absolutely essential, however, in order to a _fair_ exposition of this passage, that we should {307} be able to refer to minute historical facts with names and dates. A sufficient fulfilment is found if there was a period when the church, bright, glorious, and prosperous, was apparently about to become greatly enlarged, but when the monstrous Pagan power still held its sway over a considerable part of the world, exposing the church to persecution. Even after the establishment of the church in the empire, and the favour shown to it by the Roman government, it was long before the Pagan power ceased to rage, and before the church could be regarded as safe. ¶ _And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child._ To prevent the increase and spread of the church in the world.

5 And [379]she brought forth a man child, [380]who was to rule
all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up
unto God, and _to_ his throne.

5. _And she brought forth a man child._ Representing, according to the view above taken, the church in its increase and prosperity――_as if_ a child were born that was to rule over all nations. See Notes on ver. 2. ¶ _Who was to rule all nations._ That is, according to this view, the church thus represented was destined to reign in all the earth, or all the earth was to become subject to its laws. Comp. Notes on Da. vii. 13, 14. ¶ _With a rod of iron._ The language here used is derived from Ps. ii. 9: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.” The form of the expression here used, “who was to _rule_”――ὃς μέλλει ποιμαίνειν――is derived from the Septuagint translation of the Psalm――ποιμαίνεις――“thou shalt _rule_ them;” to wit, as a shepherd does his flock. The reference is to such control as a shepherd employs in relation to his flock――protecting, guarding, and defending them, with the idea that the flock is under his care; and, on the supposition that this refers to the church, it means that it would yet have the ascendency or the dominion over the earth. The meaning in the phrase, “with a rod of iron,” is, that the dominion would be strong or irresistible――as an iron sceptre is one that cannot be broken or resisted. The thoughts here expressed, therefore, are, (a) that the church would become universal――or that the principles of truth and righteousness would prevail everywhere on the earth; (b) that the ascendency of religion over the understandings and consciences of men would be irresistible――as firm as a government administered under a sceptre of iron; yet (c) that it would be rather of a character of protection than of force or violence, like the sway which a shepherd wields over his flock. I understand the “man child” here, therefore, to refer to the church in its increase under the Messiah, and the idea to be, that that church was, at the time referred to, about to be enlarged, and that, though its increase was opposed, yet it was destined ultimately to assert a mild sway over all the world. The _time_ here referred to would seem to be some period in the early history of the church when religion was likely to be rapidly propagated, and when it was opposed and retarded by violent persecution――perhaps the last of the persecutions under the Pagan Roman empire. ¶ _And her child was caught up unto God._ This is evidently a symbolical representation. Some event was to occur, or some divine interposition was to take place, _as if_ the child thus born were caught up from the earth to save it from death, and was rendered secure by being in the presence of God, and near his throne. It cannot be supposed that anything like this would _literally_ occur. Any divine interposition to protect the church in its increase, or to save it from being destroyed by the dragon――the fierce Pagan power――would be properly represented by this. Why may we not suppose the reference to be to the time of Constantine, when the church came under his protection; when it was effectually and finally saved from Pagan persecution; when it was rendered safe from the enemy that waited to destroy it? On the supposition that this refers to an increasing but endangered church, in whose defence a civil power was raised up, exalting Christianity to the throne, and protecting it from danger, this would be well represented by the child caught up to heaven. This view may derive confirmation from some well-known facts in history. The old Pagan power was concentrated in Maximin, who was emperor from the Nile to the Bosphorus, and who raged against the gospel and the church “with Satanic enmity.” “Infuriate at the now imminent prospect of the Christian body {308} attaining establishment in the empire, Maximin renewed the persecution against Christians within the limits of his own dominion; prohibiting their assemblies, and degrading, and even killing their bishops.” Comp. Gibbon, i. 325, 326. The last struggle of Pagan Rome to destroy the church by persecution, before the triumph of Constantine, and the public establishment of the Christian religion, might be well represented by the attempt of the dragon to destroy the child; and the safety of the church, and its complete deliverance from Pagan persecution, by the symbol of a child caught up to heaven, and placed near the throne of God. The persecution under Maximin was the last struggle of Paganism to retain the supremacy, and to crush Christianity in the empire. “Before the decisive battle,” says Milner, “Maximin vowed to Jupiter that, if victorious, he would abolish the Christian name. The contest between Jehovah and Jupiter was now at its height, and drawing to a crisis.” The result was the defeat and death of Maximin, and the termination of the efforts of Paganism to destroy Christianity by force. Respecting this event, Mr. Gibbon remarks, “The defeat and death of Maximin soon delivered the church from the last and most implacable of her enemies,” i. 326. Christianity was, after that, rendered safe from Pagan persecution. Mr. Gibbon says, “The gratitude of the church has exalted the virtues of the generous patron _who seated Christianity on the throne of the Roman world_.” If, however, it should be regarded as a forced and fanciful interpretation to suppose that the passage before us refers to this _specific_ event, yet the _general_ circumstances of the times would furnish a fulfilment of what is here said. (a) The church would be well represented by the beautiful woman. (b) The prospect of its increase and universal dominion would be well represented by the birth of the child. (c) The furious opposing Pagan power would be well represented by the dragon in its attempts to destroy the child. (d) The safety of the church would be well represented by the symbol of the child caught up to God, and placed near his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a
place prepared of God, that they should feed her there [381]a
thousand two hundred _and_ threescore days.

6. _And the woman._ The woman representing the church. Notes, ver. 1. ¶ _Fled._ That is, she fled in the manner, and at the time, stated in ver. 14. John here evidently anticipates, by a summary statement, what he relates more in detail in ver. 14‒17. He had referred (ver. 2‒5) to what occurred to the child in its persecutions, and he here alludes, in general, to what befell the true church as compelled to flee into obscurity and safety. Having briefly referred to this, the writer (ver. 7‒13) gives an account of the efforts of Satan consequent on the removal of the child to heaven. ¶ _Into the wilderness._ On the meaning of the word _wilderness_ in the New Testament, see Notes on Mat. iii. 1. It means a desert place, a place where there are few or no inhabitants; a place, therefore, where one might be concealed and unknown――remote from the habitations and the observations of men. This would well represent the fact, that the true church became for a time obscure and unknown――_as if_ it had fled away from the habitations of men, and had retired to the solitude and loneliness of a desert. Yet even there (ver. 14, 16) it would be mysteriously nourished, though seemingly driven out into wastes and solitudes, and having its abode among the rocks and sands of a desert. ¶ _Where she hath a place prepared of God._ A place where she might be safe, and might be kept alive. The meaning is, that during that time the true church, though obscure and almost unknown, would be the object of the divine protection and care――a beautiful representation of the church during the corruptions of the Papacy and the darkness of the middle ages. ¶ _That they should feed her._ That they should _nourish_ or _sustain_ her――τρέφωσιν――to wit, as specified in ver. 14, 16. Those who were to do this, represented by the word “_they_,” are not particularly mentioned, and the simple idea is that she _would be_ nourished during that time. That is, stripped of the figure, the church during that time would find true friends, and would be kept alive. It is hardly necessary to say that this has, in fact, occurred in the darkest periods of the history of the church. ¶ _A thousand two hundred |and| threescore days._ That {309} is, regarding these as prophetic days, in which a day denotes a year, twelve hundred and sixty years. The same period evidently is referred to in ver. 14, in the words “for a time, and times, and half a time.” And the same period is undoubtedly referred to in Da. vii. 25: “And they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.” For a full consideration of the meaning of this language, and its application to the Papacy, see Notes on Da. vii. 25. The full investigation there made of the meaning and application of the language renders its consideration here unnecessary. I regard it here, as I do there, as referring to the proper continuance of the Papal power, during which the true church would remain in comparative obscurity, as if driven into a desert. Comp. Notes on ch. xi. 2. The meaning here is, that during that period the true church would not become wholly extinct. It would have an existence upon the earth, but its final triumph would be reserved for the time when this great enemy should be finally overthrown. Comp. Notes on ver. 14‒17.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.

7. _And there was war in heaven._ There was a state of things existing in regard to the woman and the child――the church in the condition in which it would then be――which would be well represented by a war in heaven; that is, by a conflict between the powers of good and evil, of light and darkness. Of course it is not necessary to understand this _literally_, any more than the other symbolical representations in the book. All that is meant is, that a vision passed before the mind of John _as if_ there was a conflict, in regard to the church, between the angels in heaven and Satan. There is a vision of the persecuted church――of the woman fleeing into the desert――and the course of the narrative is here interrupted by going back (ver. 7‒13) to describe the conflict which led to this result, and the fact that Satan, as it were cast out of heaven, and unable to achieve a victory there, was suffered to vent his malice against the church on earth. The seat of this warfare is said to be heaven. This language sometimes refers to heaven as it appears to us――the sky――the upper regions of the atmosphere, and some have supposed that that was the place of the contest. But the language in ch. xi. 19, xii. 1 (see Notes on those places), would rather lead us to refer it to heaven considered as lying beyond the sky. This accords, too, with other representations in the Bible, where Satan is described as appearing before God, and among the sons of God. See Notes on Job i. 6. Of course this is not to be understood as a _real_ transaction, but as a symbolical representation of the contest between good and evil――_as if_ there was a war waged in heaven between Satan and the leader of the heavenly hosts. ¶ _Michael._ There have been very various opinions as to who Michael is. Many Protestant interpreters have supposed that Christ is meant. The reasons usually alleged for this opinion, many of which are very fanciful, may be seen in Hengstenberg (_Die Offenbarung des heiliges Johannes_), i. 611‒622. The reference to _Michael_ here is probably derived from Da. x. 13; xii. 1. In those places he is represented as the guardian angel of the people of God; and it is in this sense, I apprehend, that the passage is to be understood here. There is no evidence in the name itself, or in the circumstances referred to, that Christ is intended; and if he had been, it is inconceivable why he was not referred to by his own name, or by some of the usual appellations which John gives him. Michael, the archangel, is here represented as the guardian of the church, and as contending against Satan for its protection. Comp. Notes on Da. x. 13. This representation accords with the usual statements in the Bible respecting the interposition of the angels in behalf of the church (see Notes on He. i. 14), and is one which cannot be proved to be unfounded. All the analogies which throw any light on the subject, as well as the uniform statements of the Bible, lead us to suppose that good beings of other worlds feel an interest in the welfare of the redeemed church below. ¶ _And his angels._ The angels under him. Michael is represented as the archangel, and all the statements in the Bible suppose that the heavenly hosts are distributed into different ranks and orders. See Notes on Jude 9; Ep. i. 21. If Satan is permitted to make war against the church, there is no improbability in supposing that, in those higher regions where {310} the war is carried on, and in those aspects of it which lie beyond the power and the knowledge of man, good angels should be employed to defeat his plans. ¶ _Fought._ See Notes on Jude 9. ¶ _Against the dragon._ Against Satan. Notes, ver. 3. ¶ _And the dragon fought and his angels._ That is, the master-spirit――Satan, and those under him. See Notes on Mat. iv. 1. Of the nature of this warfare nothing is definitely stated. Its whole sphere lies beyond mortal vision, and is carried on in a manner of which we can have little conception. What weapons Satan may use to destroy the church, and in what way his efforts may be counteracted by holy angels, are points on which we can have little knowledge. It is sufficient to know that the fact of such a struggle is not improbable, and that Satan is successfully resisted by the leader of the heavenly host.

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven.

8. _And prevailed not._ Satan and his angels failed in their purpose. ¶ _Neither was their place found anymore in heaven._ They were cast out, and were seen there no more. The idea is, that they were defeated and driven away, though for a time they were suffered to carry on the warfare elsewhere.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old [382]serpent,
called the [383]Devil, and [384]Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels
were cast out with him.

9. _And the great dragon was cast out._ See Notes on ver. 3. That there may be an allusion in the _language_ here to what actually occurred in some far-distant period of the past, when Satan was ejected from heaven, there can be no reason to doubt. Our Saviour seems to refer to such an event in the language which he uses when he says (Lu. x. 18), “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven;” and Jude, perhaps (ver. 6), may refer to the same event. All that we know on the subject leads us to suppose that at some time there was a revolt among the angels, and that the rebellious part were cast out of heaven, for an allusion to this is not unfrequent in the Scriptures. Still the event _here_ referred to is a symbolical representation of what could occur at a later period, when the church would be about to spread and be triumphant, and when Satan would wage a deadly war against it. That opposition would be _as if_ he made war on Michael the archangel, and the heavenly hosts, and his failure would be as great _as if_ he were vanquished and cast out of heaven. ¶ _That old serpent._ This doubtless refers to the serpent that deceived Eve (Ge. iii. 1‒11; Re. xx. 2; comp. Notes on 2 Co. xi. 3); and this passage may be adduced as a proof that the real tempter of Eve was the devil, who assumed the form of a serpent. The word _old_ here refers to the fact that his appearance on earth was at an early stage of the world’s history, and that he had long been employed in the work which is here attributed to him――that of opposing the church. ¶ _Called the Devil._ To whom the name _Devil_ is given. That is, this is the same being that is elsewhere and commonly known by that name. See Notes on Mat. iv. 1. ¶ _And Satan._ Another name given to the same being――a name, like the other, designed to refer to something in his character. See it explained in the Notes on Job i. 6. ¶ _Which deceiveth the whole world._ Whose character is that of a deceiver; whose agency extends over all the earth. See Notes on Jn. viii. 44, and 1 Jn. v. 19. ¶ _He was cast out into the earth._ That is, he was not suffered to pursue his designs in heaven, but was cast down to the earth, where he is permitted for a time to carry on his warfare against the church. According to the interpretation proposed above, this refers to the period when there were indications that God was about to set up his kingdom on the earth. The _language_, however, is such as would be used on the supposition that there had been, at some period, a rebellion in heaven, and that Satan and his followers had been cast out to return there no more. It is difficult to explain this language except on that supposition; and such a supposition is, in itself, no more improbable than the apostasy and rebellion of man. ¶ _And his angels were cast out with him._ They shared the lot of their leader. As applicable to the state of things to which this refers, the meaning is, that _all_ were overthrown; that no enemy of the church would remain {311} unsubdued; that the victory would be final and complete. As applicable to the event from which the language is supposed to have been derived――the revolt in heaven――the meaning is, that the followers in the revolt shared the lot of the leader, and that all who rebelled were ejected from heaven. The first and the only revolt in heaven was quelled; and the result furnished to the universe an impressive proof that none who rebelled there would be forgiven――that apostasy so near the throne could not be pardoned.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, [385]Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the
power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them before our God day and night.

10. _And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven._ The great enemy was expelled; the cause of God and truth was triumphant; and the conquering hosts united in celebrating the victory. This representation of a song, consequent on victory, is in accordance with the usual representations in the Bible. See the song of Moses at the Red Sea, Ex. xv.; the song of Deborah, Ju. v.; the song of David when the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, 2 Sa. xxii.; and Is. xii., xxv. On no occasion could such a song be more appropriate than on the complete routing and discomfiture of Satan and his rebellious hosts. Viewed in reference to the _time_ here symbolized, this would relate to the certain triumph of the church and of truth on the earth; in reference to the _language_, there is an allusion to the joy and triumph of the heavenly hosts when Satan and his apostate legions were expelled. ¶ _Now is come salvation._ That is, complete deliverance from the power of Satan. ¶ _And strength._ That is, now is the mighty power of God manifested in casting down and subduing the great enemy of the church. ¶ _And the kingdom of our God._ The reign of our God. See Notes on Mat. iii. 2. That is now established among men, and God will henceforward rule. This refers to the certain ultimate triumph of his cause in the world. ¶ _And the power of his Christ._ His anointed; that is, the kingdom of Christ as the Messiah, or as anointed and set apart to rule over the world. See Notes on Mat. i. 1. ¶ _For the accuser of our brethren is cast down._ The phrase “_our_ brethren” shows by whom this song is celebrated. It is sung in heaven; but it is by those who belonged to the redeemed church, and whose brethren were still suffering persecution and trial on the earth. It shows the tenderness of the tie which unites all the redeemed as brethren, whether on earth or in heaven; and it shows the interest which they “who have passed the flood” have in the trials, the sorrows, and the triumphs of those who are still upon the earth. We have here another appellation given to the great enemy――“accuser of the brethren.” The word here used――κατήγορος, in later editions of the New Testament κατήγωρ――means properly _an accuser_, one who blames another, or charges another with crime. The word occurs in Jn. viii. 10; Ac. xxiii. 30, 35; xxiv. 8; xxv. 16, 18; Re. xii. 10, in all which places it is rendered _accuser_ or _accusers_, though only in the latter place applied to Satan. The verb frequently occurs, Mat. xii. 10; xxvii. 12; Mar. iii. 2; xv. 3, _et al._ The description of Satan as an _accuser_ accords with the opinion of the ancient Hebrews in regard to his character. Thus he is represented in Job i. 9‒11; ii. 4, 5; Zec. iii. 1, 2; 1 Ch. xxi. 1. The phrase “of the brethren” refers to Christians, or to the people of God; and the meaning here is, that one of the characteristics of Satan――a characteristic so well known as to make it proper to designate him by it――is that he is an _accuser_ of the righteous; that he is employed in bringing against them charges affecting their character and destroying their influence. The propriety of this appellation cannot be doubted. It is, as it has always been, one of the characteristics of Satan――one of the means by which he keeps up his influence in the world――to bring accusations against the people of God. Thus, under his suggestions, and by his agents, they are charged with hypocrisy; with insincerity; with being influenced by bad motives; with pursuing sinister designs under the cloak of religion; with secret vices and crimes. Thus it was that the martyrs were accused; thus it is that unfounded accusations are often brought against {312} ministers of the gospel, palsying their power and diminishing their influence, or that when a professed Christian falls the church is made to suffer by an effort to cast suspicion on all who bear the Christian name. Perhaps the most skilful thing that Satan does, and the thing by which he most contributes to diminish the influence of the church, is in thus causing “accusations” to be brought against the people of God. ¶ _Is cast down._ The period here referred to was, doubtless, the time when the church was about to be established and to flourish in the world, and when accusations would be brought against Christians by various classes of calumniators and informers. It is well known that in the early ages of Christianity crimes of the most horrid nature were charged on Christians, and that it was by these slanders that the effort was made to prevent the extension of the Christian church. ¶ _Which accused them before our God._ See Notes on Job i. 9, 10. The meaning is, that he accused them, as it were, in the very presence of God. ¶ _Day and night._ He never ceased bringing these accusations, and sought by the perseverance and constancy with which they were urged to convince the world that there was no sincerity in the church and no reality in religion.

11 And they [386]overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and
by the word of their testimony; and [387]they loved not their
lives unto the death.

11. _And they overcame him._ That is, he was foiled in his attempt thus to destroy the church. The reference here, undoubtedly, is primarily to the martyr age and to the martyr spirit; and the meaning is, that religion had not become extinct by these accusations, as Satan hoped it would be, but lived and triumphed. By their holy lives, by their faithful testimony, by their patient sufferings, they showed that all these accusations were false, and that the religion which they professed was from God, and thus in fact gained a victory over their accuser. Instead of being themselves subdued, Satan himself was vanquished, and the world was constrained to acknowledge that the persecuted religion had a heavenly origin. No design was ever more ineffectual than that of crushing the church by persecution, no victory was ever more signal than that which was gained when it could be said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” ¶ _By the blood of the Lamb._ The Lord Jesus――the Lamb of God. Notes, ch. v. 6; comp. Notes on Jn. i. 29. The blood of Christ was that by which they were redeemed, and it was in virtue of the efficacy of the atonement that they were enabled to achieve the victory. Comp. Notes on Phi. iv. 13. Christ himself achieved a victory over Satan by his death (see Notes on Col. ii. 15; He. ii. 15), and it is in virtue of the victory which he thus achieved that we are now able to triumph over our great foe.

“I ask them whence their victory came.
They, with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to his death.”